1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article conveying device using at least one sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional conveying system, a plurality of articles conveyed by a conveyor are detected by a vision sensor, and a robot grips and moves each article based on positional information of the detected article while following the motion of the conveyor (e.g., as described in JP H08-063214 A). Also, a technique for preventing an error in picking up an article conveyed by a conveyor is well-known (e.g., as described in JP 2013-000854 A).
Further, a technique for appropriately controlling or correcting the motion of picking up an article on a conveyor, even when the position or orientation of the article on the conveyor has been changed, is well-known (e.g., as described in JP 2004-001122 A or JP 2016-107349 A).
In case that a plurality of articles are conveyed while overlapping each other, it is necessary to use a dedicated device in order to reposition the overlapped articles before picking up an article, whereby a system including the device may be costly. Further, even when the dedicated device is used, it may be difficult to completely reposition the overlapped article when the articles are irregularly supplied or conveyed. In such a case, the overlapped article may not be detected by a vision sensor, and the undetected article may not be conveyed to a predetermined destination, whereby a capacity of the conveying system may be reduced.